Snow cold

Snow fell overnight and was over when I got up.  We got less than an inch after alarmist predictions of up to a foot.  The temperature warning, however, was all too true.  I know that winters when I lived in Ohio and Michigan regularly got this cold and colder, but after four decades in Virginia, I have lost my tolerance.  

Waiting

The National Weather Service was full of warnings:

• Winter Storm Warning until February 1, 07:00 PM EST
• Cold Weather Advisory until February 1, 01:00 AM EST
• Hazardous Weather Outlook
• High Wind Warning in effect from January 31, 07:00 PM EST until February 1, 04:00 PM EST
• Extreme Cold Warning in effect from February 1, 01:00 AM EST until February 1, 10:00 AM EST
• Coastal Flood Warning in effect from February 1, 03:00 AM EST until February 1, 01:00 PM EST
• High Surf Advisory in effect from January 31, 04:00 PM EST until February 2, 04:00 AM EST

 But the snow didn't start falling till nightfall.  

 

 

Brown thrasher

Clouds spread as the day went on and the air got a little warmer.  The dredging continued.  A brown thrasher tackled the suet.  

 

Bird buffet

The ice on the creek was broken where the barge had plowed through but it had refrozen overnight.  A Carolina wren helped itself to bits of barkbutter with beak wide open.  The female Baltimore oriole was up early and headed for the jelly.  Or course, white throats poked around the dead vegetation but also visited the barkbutter dish.  A myrtle warbler paused on the bench.  Another investigated a tabletop.  Then the male pileated woodpecker arrived.  Some of the songbirds were intimidated, but not the brown headed nuthatch.  The red bellied woodpecker ate seeds - he must like something in the mix I bought.  A white breasted nuthatch asserted itself despite the house finches.  A mockingbird wasn't happy to find barkbutter instead of mealworms.  (I emptied the mealworm bag yesterday.)  Bluebirds were happy with either food.  Blue jays were late noticing that there were barkbutter balls.  

A starling came for lunch.  The sun lit up its iridescent feathers, but a bluebird was annoyed at being displaced.  The white breasted nuthatch came back for more seeds.  The oriole ate some barkbutter balls and some suet.  She emptied the jelly.  Brown headed nuthatches were back.  So was a wren.  Pine warblers made a late appearance.  Soon the barkbutter dish was down to dust, so I refilled it.  The creek partly melted during the afternoon, as much from the dredging as the temperature, I think.  Maybe the abundant sunshine helped.  

Still very cold

The creek was completely covered by ice and did not melt.  The sky was mottled with clouds and sunshine was intermittent.  Barkbutter balls lured the blue jays.  Bluebirds were right behind.   Brown headed nuthatches were hungry.  White throats scoured the ground but some wanted barkbutter balls.  Pine and myrtle warblers got into fights.  Titmice seemed to avoid confrontation.  A crow walked around briefly.  A Carolina wren took over the barkbutter dish.   

At lunch, a squirrel tried to break into the seed feeder but Yankee ingenuity won, again.  No sooner had it given up than a brown headed nuthatch landed on the perch.  A mockingbird landed on the barkbutter dish and found it empty.  A pine warbler had to see for himself.  Then a bluebird was disappointed.  Meanwhile, a downy woodpecker got a meal of suet.  A white breasted nuthatch came for seeds, and a barkbutter ball, alas.  A Carolina wren was disappointed too.  The red bellied woodpecker ate seeds even though there was a block of suet not a foot away.  

 

4 and 20 blackbirds

We restocked all the feeders and word got out.  The mockingbird arrived almost immediately after I put mealworms out.  Then a flock of blackbirds landed everywhere.  A lot of them were brown headed cowbirds.  A minute later they spooked and did not return.  

 

Flurries

The temperature hovered just above freezing under a heavy overcast.  Naturally that made the birds hungry but there wasn't much for them except seeds.  The suet was reduced to the size of a thumb joint.  The barkbutter dish held ice water and the jelly dish was empty.  After I was sure it wouldn't rain again, I hurried out with a resupply of barkbutter bits and dust from the bottom of the bag.  As we ate lunch , there was a brief snow flurry.  

Snow and rain

Enough snow fell overnight to leave a visible crust of white but the precipitation had warmed to rain by the time I got up.  There were hungry birds but between them and my camera was rain-streaked glass.  (The rain was coming from the North.)  A pileated visited the suet nubbin but I couldn't see it clearly enough to know if it was male or female.  The red belly also visited.  White throats and possibly juncos ran around the slushy patio where K had spilled some seeds.  

Really cold

The temperature was 22° when I got up and rose all the way to 24° during the day.  The gusty wind must have driven the chill down into the teens.  Occasional sunlight broke through the overcast.  The red belly was up early, soon followed by the oriole.  The oriole was not willing to share with bluebirds.  Eventually she left and I counted four bluebirds.  Warblers and white throats hunted breakfast.  A white breasted nuthatch, then brown headed nuthatches, visited.  A Carolina wren poked that long beak into dead vegetation.  Blue jays noticed the barkbutter balls.  K refilled the glass dish twice.   A white throat tried to get possession of the dish but neither a bluebird nor the oriole was intimidated.  A chickadee walked down the pine trunk.

At lunch, white throats, nuthatches, titmice, wrens, and red belly were all still eating.  A flock of a dozen or more hoodies, mostly drakes, fished on the creek. I had been afraid the dredging might have scared them off for the Winter, but today the equipment was docked.   There may have been more females but they blended in with the water.  A pelican fly-by was blurred by tree branches.  A cormorant popped up out of the cold, gray water with a fish.  A half dozen egrets flew away.  A couple of buffleheads hung out with the hoodies.  Of course there were mallards.  They intercepted the cormorant but it dived.  Bu then the light was very poor.  

The snow began around 10pm.   

Birds stuffing themselves

You would have thought there was a storm coming* the way birds were stuffing their faces, um crops, today.  I was gone all morning but they were hungry at breakfast and still eating at lunch.  Bluebirds could not stay away from the barkbutter dish.  Brown headed nuthatches only wanted seeds.  The Carolina wren would try anything.  The white throats wanted food to fall down to them.  A butterbutt stared at the door as though that would make more food appear. The red bellied woodpecker diminished the block of suet.  A pine warbler was happy with mealworms

 Both wrens came for lunch.  A couple of pine warblers disputed possession of the suet.  The day was mostly cloudy but the sky cleared occasionally so we had some sun.  It lit up a pine warbler.  Then a bluebird frustrated another warbler.  Nuthatches persisted.  A white throat tired of waiting and got up on the dish.  Titmice were willing to eat everything.  The oriole wanted jelly.  Bluebirds stared down a house finch.  Two butterbutts watched for an opportunity to get a meal.  I saw but didn't get a picture of a downy woodpecker and a brown pelican.   Clouds pinked at sunset.  

*Winter Storm Fern, of all silly names! 

 

Graying

The General Assembly will consider a bill to designate the brown-belted bumblebee Bombus griseocollis as the official Virginia native pollinator.  But since it's not pollinating season, I was more cheered by the Carolina wren, faithful to the barkbutter dish.  A red bellied woodpecker marched along a branch.  Morning was sunny with passing clouds.  The day grew warm and afternoon skies were gray as the turbid water in the creek.  A great blue heron chased another away.  A pelican flew toward me but I forgot I'd turned the camera off.  

Squirrel Appreciation Day

I skipped yesterday because I had so little to report.   A titmouse and a cardinal ate barkbutter balls.  A Carolina wren ate suet.  White throats wandered around the patio.  The sky was intensely blue.  

Light frost whitened the dead vegetation and skins of ice floated on the creek.   The sun's angle was finally high enough to catch the seedheads of mountain mint.  I tried to celebrate their day, but the squirrels seemed uninterested.  The day was sunny with a West wind.  

Bluebirds liked the mealworms but were back lighted at lunch.  As usual, white throats messed around in the dry leaves, no longer frosted.  Titmice were hungry for everything but had to compete with house finches and chickadees.  Pine warblers worked on the suet and got thirsty.  Eventually a Carolina wren arrived.  I saw a great blue heron land in a tree behind a lot of crisscrossing branches.  There were pelicans as well.  

Sunny but not warm

The sun was back today after 2/3 of an inch of rain yesterday.  The creek work continued.  I saw a pelican and a great blue heron in flight but not when I could get a picture.  A Carolina wren was glad the barkbutter balls were available again, but they disappeared fast.  A shorter-haired yellow cat watched the birds for a moment.  I had an early meeting, then more meetings.  

Bluebirds came for lunch.  Pine warblers joined them.  Brown headed nuthatches plundered the seeds.  A white throat cleaned up the barkbutter dish and a titmouse hunted crumbs.  A myrtle warbler was sad over the empty dish.  Then a brown headed cowbird pair came to see what was on offer but left disappointed.  And I left for yet another meeting.  

 

Real rain

Today had the first measurable rain this year.  It wasn't heavy but it was continuous.  Intrepid Carolina wrens decided to eat anyway, but were frustrated by the cover keeping the rain out of the barkbutter balls.  Fortunately the suet was insoluble. The other one ate at the seed feeder.  Eventually white throats and a squirrel foraged while a brown headed nuthatch ate seeds and the red bellied woodpecker visited the suet.  Cardinals and chickadees also ate seeds.  A squirrel chased another across the wet and sagging pool cover which responded like a trampoline.  I saw pelicans flying over the creek even though there were workers moving the spoils barge.  The actual dredging has moved upstream of us now.

What died?

A myrtle warbler was an early riser.  Quarreling house finches were right behind.  Then I had to get ready for a presentation.  I glimpsed a great blue heron flying behind me reflected in the computer screen.  At lunch a white throated sparrow ate barkbutter balls.  The work continued on the creek though the tide was very low.  The sky had been blue at breakfast but clouds blanketed it intermittently during the day.  Four vultures circled over the lake in front of twisted clouds.  One was much higher and I thought it might be a black vulture.  

Flighty birds

The dredging continued under bright sunshine. Wind from the Southwest kept the creek full at low tide.  The new, gray metal bulkhead looked colder than the old, stained wood. It may not be as attractive a background for birds.  I had a meeting in the morning and an appointment in the afternoon, so only got to observe at breakfast and lunch.  Blue jays wanted a refill on the barkbutter balls.  Pine warblers ate suet instead.  Brown headed nuthatches and titmice patronized the seed feeder.  The birds seemed easily spooked.  They would all rush away, then drift back, smallest first. 

The female oriole had a good look around at lunchtime.  A Carolina wren sat inside the glass dish.  Pine warblers sampled everything.  Then the red bellied woodpecker took over the suet.  A myrtle warbler got very flustered.  But the nuthatches never stopped.  

Lots of bluebirds

Clouds began to pull apart at breakfast and the day was fairly sunny.  The male red belly couldn't stay away from that suet.  Bluebirds sought out my mix of barkbutter balls and mealworms.  White throats were also tempted.  At least one Carolina wren got a share.  Pelicans flew over the dredging operation but I didn't get a picture.  The spoils barge bore the name Poseidon which I thought was tempting fate.  

Dredge

I missed a day. Tuesday, there were thirsty bluebirds and goldfinches.  A Carolina wren and an orange crowned warbler ate from the glass dish.  A titmouse perched up in the wild cherry.  White throats scoured the ground.  A pine warbler ate suet.   Across the creek, a new bulkhead was being installed.  

Songbirds came in flurries. At breakfast I saw two pine warblers, a white throat, a silly butterbutt, and a Carolina wren.  A mockingbird, bluebirds, and more white throats came for lunch.  A goldfinch watched.  A brown headed nuthatch was thirsty.  The oriole had some jelly.  The dredging work was right in front of us today.  Despite that, I saw a couple of pelicans fly over.  Around 4pm there was light rain.  

Sunny

The temperature got quite cold overnight but then the day warmed up again.  The dredge was hard at work  moving muck and making the creek turbid.   I lost the morning to an appointment though I did make note of trees smothered in ivy.  That's a current project.  I think a hawk was hanging around, disturbing the birds.  A myrtle warbler was thirsty and hungry at breakfast.  Pine warblers followed, then bluebirds and a Carolina wren.  A white breasted nuthatch visited the seed feeder.  White throats got up on the barkbutter dish.  A pelican flew over but trees were in the way.  

 

Mixed weather

The morning was full of dark clouds and light rain.  During a lull, the pileateds visited.  The seed feeder birds ignored the weather but not each other.  The cardinal did not tolerate the house finches.  After the pileateds left, the male red belly showed up - note the red belly.  Carolina wrens took their barkbutter balls to the azalea to eat.  

Finally after 1pm the clouds began to tear apart and the wind picked up.  Meanwhile the temperature had slid from the 50s to the 40s.  I saw bluebirds but didn't get a picture.  The red belly returned.  White throats foraged along the far edge of the pool.  Squirrels foraged and flirted.  Sunset lit up a ridge of clouds in the Northeast.  The clouds expanded as the light dimmed, seeming to boil with red light.  Egrets and cormorants, and maybe other birds flew home.  

 

Still warm

Yesterday tied the record high and today was still warm.  Occasionally sunshine found a path through the overcast, but the concrete never dried from last night's shower.  The dredging was nearly opposite us so water birds stayed away.  A pine warbler got a barkbutter ball.  A bluebird did too.  In between the cardinals, house finches, and chickadees, a brown headed nuthatch got a drink and a seed.  A white throat picked up a barkbutter ball but dropped it when flying away.  The red belled woodpecker returned.  A Carolina wren hopped around the bare beautyberry branches before taking a turn at the barkbutter balls.  I also saw titmice on the glass dish.  

Insects

Temperatures in the 60s brought out a few bugs, so the birds didn't need the feeders.  I saw something buzzing around the feeder post and after dark there was a moth on the window.  White throats foraged all over.  The mockingbird found the dish feeder empty.  Carolina wrens were more flexible - if one food source was gone, another would do.  I refilled the dish and pine warblers appeared.  

 

 

Woodpeckers

The dredge started up so early that the rising sun cast its shadow on the bulkhead where it looked like a long-necked creature feeding.  Again the Carolina wren was the early bird eating mealworms like french fries.  A white throat followed.  Soon the male red bellied woodpecker arrived.  Then the male pileated woodpecker showed up, followed by the female.  Blue jays called their kin and settled for mealworms.  

At lunch a squirrel drank from the ant moat.   A white breasted nuthatch got seeds in spite of the pesky house finches.  Bluebirds heard about the mealworms and came for their share.  The mockingbird must have heard as well.  The female pileated came back for more suet.  Then the red belly returned.  I realized I haven't seen a downy woodpecker for weeks.  

While it didn't get as warm as yesterday, it was mild and the sky grew hazy white.  Luckily, the haze muted the sunshine and reduced glare.  The dredge turned and kicked up a frothy wake.  

Dinodredge

A Carolina wren breakfasted on barkbutter balls.   At lunch, the male red bellied woodpecker worked on the suet.  White throats scurried around.  The dredge made long waves in the creek.  As I watched the scoop arm on the dredge through a screen of trees, it looked like movie depictions of sauropods, if dinosaurs were white.  

Much warmer!

White throats roamed the patio hunting food.   Carolina wrens did too.  The mockingbird wasn't pleased with barkbutter balls.  I guess it wanted mealworms.  But blue jays were happy.  The creek had yellow caution tape strung all over to guide the dredge.  A couple of squirrels flirted but she wasn't quite in the mood yet.  The temperature touched 65°! 

 

Warming

Again, part of the creek had a thin coating of ice but the rest was a perfect mirror in the early sunlight.  The two Carolina wrens were early birds.  Bluebirds were close behind.  White throats resumed kicking mulch and dry leaves.  A cardinal argued with a bluebird over the contents of the dish feeder.  Surprisingly, the bluebird won.  Pine warblers made the rounds of feeders and furniture.  One foraged on the pool cover.  I could see birds in the bushes but only a cardinal was identifiable.  At lunch time several butterbutts showed up.  So did the dredge crew.  As the afternoon went on, the sky grew overcast. 

I learned that iNaturalist has a Bird Feeders group that added some of my photos.  

 

Predators

The sun was back but a skin of ice floated on the creek at breakfast.  As usual, the chill made birds hungry.  A Carolina wren started with suet where it was joined by an orange crowned warbler.  Meanwhile, blue jays cleaned out the barkbutter balls.  The orange cat wandered through but didn't come close.  A goldfinch was tempted by the suet but didn't succumb.  The red belly returned.  A myrtle warbler scurried around the patio and finally got a chance at the empty dish.  The wren was disappointed too and glared at me.  Even a cardinal, a bluebird, and warbler had to see for themselves that it was empty.  

White throats stayed on terra firma.  A great blue heron landed in the pines.  Pretty soon another came along and chased it off.   A goldfinch tried mountain mint seeds.  A second Carolina wren joined the first.  I refilled the dish, this time with mealworms.  At lunch, we saw another Cooper's hawk.  It was sitting on the fence so I had a much better view, but of its back.   

Once the hawk flew, hungry songbirds returned starting with pine warblers.  Bluebirds followed.  Brown headed nuthatches went after sunflower seeds.  The female oriole was attracted by the mealworms.  A myrtle warbler looked into grape jelly.  One yellow rumped warbler had some yellow on its throat like it might be a mix of myrtle and Audubon varieties.  The red belly came back but he also went prospecting up the trunk of a dogwood.  

Bufflehead drakes bobbed up and dived in the creek after the ice was gone.  I think there were three of them.  They kept it up as the sun went down.  

 

Gloomy

The sky was gray all day.  A Carolina wren visited early in the morning.  I only saw pelicans when there were trees in the way but did catch one bufflehead drake.  At lunch birds flocked to the feeders but quickly flew off.  I saw but didn't capture a bluebird.  The pair of goldfinches were slower and seemed interested in the suet.  Pine and orange crowned warblers feasted on barkbutter balls.  The red bellied woodpecker focused on suet and scared a goldfinch.  

Hawk again

The sun shone and the creek was placid.  I was gone till mid morning and when I returned there weren't any birds.  But at lunch we had a show.  K saw a hawk again but still screened by twigs.  I don't know if they forgot it was there, but after a while, songbirds came to the feeders.  The boldest was a Carolina wren that wanted suet.  White throats began to forage.  Eventually the hawk left.  

The red bellied woodpecker returned to the suet.   Some yellow rumped warblers searched for fallen food.  One sampled the goodies in the dish but was soon supplanted by a bluebird.  A pine warbler asserted rank on the warbler pecking order.  Both brown headed and white breasted nuthatches visited.  A goldfinch looked around but settled for water.  

New year, same weather

Today was sunny with typical winter temperatures.  I've now collected 15 years of observations but I've really no idea if they are useful beyond my own interest.  I have certainly learned a lot more about what lives around me.  I've gone through several cameras and maybe gotten better at photography.  Some species seem to have increased and others decreased but that may just be the small sample size.  2025 rainfall was down 6.5 inches from the average of 49 inches, but the average was adjusted higher a few years ago.

A pelican cruised over the creek at breakfast.  I noticed the dish feeder was empty  and filled it with mealworms.  A white throat was not pleased.  Blue jays would have preferred barkbutter balls but ate anyway.  A mockingbird was enthusiastic, as were bluebirds and pine warblers.  Carolina wrens shopped around.  The red belly stayed with the suet.  A couple of goldfinches poked at the birdbath.